ED I TORI AL
Th e scie n t ific pr odu ct ion of J V a sc Br a s
Te lm o P. Bon a m igo*
*Associate professor, Vascular Surgery, Funda€•o Faculdade Federal de Ci‚ncias Mƒdicas de Porto
Alegre (FFFCMPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Head, Vascular Surgery Service, Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
J Vasc Bras. 2008;7(1):4-5.
After being given the honor to write an editorial on the study "The scientific production of J Vasc Bras: achievements and challenges," by Costa-Val e Sousa Filho,1 I should first of all celebrate it
and congratulate the authors for such a fortunate and opportune initiative.
A scientific society is only big when there are solid scientific, corporate and affective bonds between all its members. Our Society, throughout the years, has been walking that path, from Sociedade de Angiologia until, more recently, Sociedade Brasileira de Angiologia e Cirurgia Vascular (SBACV).
A scientific association is only big when, besides a high number of competent and qualified members, has a means of proper scientific communication to foster the necessary and opportune disclosure of updated knowledge to its members.
In the editorial setting, our Society has followed several paths until reaching the point where we are nowadays. There were two other publications, but having the characteristic of being private, at the service of our Society. Then there was a moment of greater crisis, and since it can be a source of solution when well conducted, creation of a new journal – J Vasc Br, now J Vasc Bras – was planned.
Thus, for the first time, our Society started having its own journal, with all its "pros and cons." Our immediate concern was adding everyone's strengths, recognize the work performed by those before us and aim high. In the International Counsel, we had the pleasure of having the presence of everyone who had already provided their services to our Society. To increase our power of action, since the first issue, we have provided a translation into English of all texts and the online publication of the Brazilian Vascular Journal, with its own INSS. There was an increasing
participation of our colleagues, as it could be confirmed that this editorial project would not be only another one, but the ultimate for our Society.
achieved. Next , t here w as a gr ow ing num ber of published ar t icles. Today w e have, in t he st udy by Cost a- Val e Sousa Filho, an excellent cont r ibut ion, w hich brings an analysis of everyt hing t hat has been published by J Vasc Br / J Vasc Bras so far.
I w ould like t o m ake som e consider at ions on som e point s st r essed by t he aut hors, based on m y personal opinion. The percent age of 37.8% of or iginal ar t icles is a challenge t o be over com e by SBACV m em ber s part icularly, and not by J Vasc Bras edit or s. Only a com bined effort can
significant ly incr ease t he m inim al num ber ( 64) of or iginal ar t icles published every year . For each problem , t here m ust be a solut ion: if 20 r esidence pr ogr am s send t w o or iginal ar t icles per year , and 40 independent m em ber s send one st udy per year , t his pr oblem can be solved.
Anot her issue t hat deser ves t o be discussed is t he num ber of Br azilian r efer ences per for m ed by nat ional aut hors. The sm all percent age can be at t r ibut ed, at first , t o t he poor t radit ion we have of publishing. Unfor t unat ely, due t o causes t hat ar e not alw ays defendable, t he lit t le t hat is published w it h m er it s t o be cit ed is rarely included in ot her aut hors' r efer ences. That fact is due t o a cult ur al and m arket issue. I n t he USA, " ever yone cit es all" nat ional aut hor s. But it is good t o r em em ber t hat only occasionally t hese aut hor s decide t o cr oss t he At lant ic. On t he ot her hand, t he absolut e m aj or it y of our aut hor s " loves" t he Nor t her n Hem ispher e.
Here w e have a cult ural cont ext : w e are m or e Lat in t han Anglo- Saxon. I have published t w o t ext s t rying t o dr aw at t ent ion t o t he im port ance of nat ional aut hor s cit ing nat ional aut hor s. I am sure t hat t im e and effort by younger aut hors w ill gradually overcom e such unj ust ifiable om ission. This issue w ill be solved w hen m any nat ional aut hor s, r espect fully, " lay aside t heir selfishness" and see not a com pet it or in anot her nat ional aut hor , but a part ner and pilgr im , bot h heading in t he sam e direct ion.
The aut hors also r aise anot her quest ion. Ther e is no j ust ificat ion for t he fact t hat m any appr oved t heses, even cum laude, are not published due t o lack of aut hor's int erest or because his advisor is not charging him t o publish it . This issue can be solved if advisors only agr ee t o t hesis defense w hen t he candidat e obt ains appr oval for publicat ion in a j ournal.
The aut hors end t heir excellent st udy r em inding us t hat , if t he need and t radit ion of publishing, for t he pr ofessor or even physician, is not st r ong her e, t his is par t ly due t o t he Am erican com m it m ent m anifest ed by t he saying "publish or per ish," w hich is inexist ent in Brazil. I disagr ee w it h t he aut hors w hen t hey claim t hat , for t he Br azilian academ ic aut hor , it is essent ial t o publish abroad, " being ev en foolish t o dem and publicat ion here." This can be real in basic sciences, in pur e
research. How ever , for m ost pr ofessor s w it h car e act ivit y and consolidat ed academ ic career, t here is lit t le differ ence having t w o or m or e st udies published abroad. I f t hese w or ks ar e published her e, we can quickly have a significant gr ow t h in t he Br azilian edit orial pr ocess.
I n conclusion, I salut e t he excellent new s concer ning t he fut ur e availabilit y, by SBACV, of t echnical assist ance for aut hors w it h proper m at er ial but w it hout pract ice in publicat ion, so t hat t hey are provided w it h t he necessary suppor t .
I finish by congr at ulat ing t he aut hor s for t heir beaut iful cont r ibut ion and, as t he first Edit or- in- Chief of J Vasc Br as, I expr ess m y j oy for per ceiving it s grow t h and r ecom m end all m em ber s t o add t heir effort s in t he nam e of t his cause.
